RG Kar College case: CM Mamata Banerjee's birthday wishes to ex-principal Sandip Ghosh emerges

RG Kar College rape and murder: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's old letter to former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Dr Sandip Ghosh has surfaced. The letter, which is a birthday wish, was written by CM Banerjee in 2022 and has been accessed by the India Today team. Dr Ghosh has been in the headlines since the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata was discovered earlier this month. Dr Ghosh, who is currently under CBI's scrutiny, was known to be close to the Chief Minister.

Sources said Dr Ghosh was part of a small group of personalities to whom the Chief Minister used to send personalised letters on their birthdays as a goodwill gesture. The fact that Dr Ghosh's name was part of the list shows that he is well-connected to the administration and the ruling Trinamool Congress. 

BJP leader and spokesperson Priyanka Tibrewal said it was not a secret that Dr Ghosh, who has faced marathon questioning by the CBI in the case, enjoyed the privilege of being in the good books of CM Mamata Banerjee.

"This is the reason that when a special committee was formed to find out irregularities at RG Kar Hospital after a vigilance report, Dr Sandip Ghosh was not removed. He was still intact in the college," Tibrewal said.

Ghosh has faced scrutiny for his actions from different quarters. The Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court have raised concerns about his response. Furthermore, the Mamata Banerjee-led government's decision to appoint him as the principal of another medical college shortly after his resignation has raised eyebrows.

The Calcutta High Court took a stern view of the transfer and sent Dr Ghosh on indefinite leave. The Bengal government subsequently revoked the transfer order of Dr Sandip Ghosh.

The Supreme Court, which took suo moto cognisance of the case, also pulled up the former principal for the delay in filing an FIR over the incident.

"Who was in touch with the principal of RG Kar Medical College? Why did he delay the FIR? What was the purpose?" the court asked while pulling up the Bengal government.

 

The CBI on Thursday got the permission to do a polygraph test on Dr Sandip Ghosh and four other doctors in connection with the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor.

The controversy surrounding Dr Ghosh has shed light on disturbing allegations of corruption and mismanagement during his tenure. Despite accusations of corruption against him, the state government has been accused of supporting him.

 In response to these allegations, the Trinamool Congress administration has established a Special Investigation Team to investigate the claims made during Dr. Ghosh's time in office.

Akhtar Ali, the former Deputy Superintendent of RG Kar Medical College,  told India Today Dr Ghosh was involved in several illegal activities, including the selling of unclaimed bodies.

Ali lodged a complaint to the state vigilance commission highlighting irregularities and charges against Dr Ghosh. The complaint accused Dr Ghosh and others of squandering government money, evading financial rules, nepotism in choosing vendors and taking bribes from them, and irregularities in recruiting contractual staff, among others.